Ashrafuddin Pirzada
LANDIKOTAL: To mark the International Day to end impunity on November 2, Freedom Network released its annual report with alarming indicators that the year 2024 has been catastrophic for journalists in Pakistan as the impunity report” revealed alarming statistics of journalists brutal murders and harassment in the past one year.
Freedom Network on Saturday released its report stating that six media professionals have been murdered including a well-known YouTuber and a staggering 57 violations of press freedom have been documented.
The report paints a grim picture of a nation where targeted killings and brutal assaults have become commonplace and the legal frameworks designed to protect journalists remain largely ineffective.
Freedom Network said that despite the passage of the Sindh Protection of Journalists and Other Media Practitioners Bill 2021 and the Federal Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act 2021, these laws have failed to provide the promised safeguards.
Freedom Network executive director Iqbal Khattak emphasized the dire consequences of a lack of “political will” and resources, warning that without robust enforcement mechanisms, journalists would continue to operate in a dangerous environment.
Iqbal Khattak said that in the report from November 2023 to August 2024, there were 11 assassination and threat attempts on journalists were recorded in Pakistan.
He said the attacks included five confirmed murders and threats against various media personnel.
He said Sindh province topped the list for violations, accounting for 37% of all reported cases, while Punjab and Islamabad followed with significant figures.
“Disturbingly, 30 of the documented cases targeted television journalists, illustrating the precarious situation faced by those in broadcast media”, Iqbal Khattak said.
He added that the newly introduced “Media Impunity Index” evaluated the progress in combating impunity across federal and provincial levels. Adding that Sindh received a score of nine out of ten for legislative efforts, both Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa languished at just two points, highlighting a stark disparity in commitment to journalist safety across the country.
The annual report highlighted that with an average of six violations reported each month, the urgency for a coordinated response from the state, media, and civil society was palpable.
It further explained that the ongoing delay in establishing a safety commission for journalists has exacerbated the crisis, leading to a heightened sense of vulnerability among media professionals.
Despite some encouraging legal victories in courts, Iqbal Khattak said, the overarching threat of violence looms large, casting a shadow over Pakistan’s journalistic landscape.
Iqbal Khattak stressed that taking action for greater protection and accountability in Pakistan’s media has never been more critical.
The Freedom Network’s report served as a clarion call for urgent reforms and a renewed commitment to safeguard press freedom in the face of escalating violence.
